


Rock and Roll All Nite

by moontaeil_i_chil



Series: Inspired By Song Titles [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M, Oneshot, Rocker AU, johnny is easily whipped, johnten are cute, ten playing bass is the one (1) thing i truly need in life, who wouldn't be though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-04-26 15:37:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14405193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moontaeil_i_chil/pseuds/moontaeil_i_chil
Summary: Johnny's band needs an emergency bassist when theirs calls in sick for the night. Ten just so happens to play.[Title from Rock and Roll All Nite by KISS]





	Rock and Roll All Nite

It's 6:35 PM as the band gets the news that their bassist won't be able to make it to their gig tonight.

The band lets out a collective panicked gasp, wondering how in the hell they're going to manage to pull off a show with a member missing. Especially one as crucial as their bassist, considering the fact that they cover bass-heavy songs.

Yes, cover. They're a cover band for right now, seeing as they're only just getting on their feet in the music industry. Which is partially why the bassist was able to so easily skip a gig; because it's not like they're playing for anyone important. Just a few college students at a bar, having drinks with their friends instead of working on papers due in under 12 hours.

Yet, the band still panics.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Asks Taeyong, the group's resident 'cute boy', (name given to him by a handful of female fans). He purses his lips as he twiddles his drumsticks, looping them around his fingers with a masterfully elegant swing.

There's a sigh from the vocalist and rhythm guitarist, Taeil. It's obvious that he doesn't know what to do either.

Johnny glances back and forth between his bandmates, not happy with the defeated looks on their faces. He decides he's going to need to do something about all of this, or else this gig will be a royal disaster, and they'll likely never play at this bar again.

Johnny abruptly stands up, receiving curious glances from his bandmates.

"I'll check the crowd, see if there's any bassists around who know at least a few songs from our setlist. The show may be short, but it'll be better than whatever the three of us could scrounge up."

Taeil has to hold back a scoff. He, quite frankly, doesn't believe that there's a chance of finding a bassist at this bar, much less one that could pull off basslines like the ones they have lined up.

"You expect to find some rando that can play Hysteria? Ramble On? Welcome To Paradise? That seems like a bit of a stretch, doesn't it?" He says, but Johnny shrugs.

"Better to check, isn't it?" He says simply, not letting his bandmates say another word before he leaves the green room, heading out into the main part of the bar.

He checks a few tables, explaining the situation and asking the patrons if they would, 'just so happen to be really good at bass?' He, unsurprisingly, doesn't get much of a response. That is, until he reaches a particularly packed booth, filled with boys that appear to be around his age.

"Hey," Johnny starts off, gaining the attention of the group of guys, "sorry to interrupt your conversation, but my band's playing tonight, and we haven't got a bassist because ours is sick. Any of you guys happen to play?"

Johnny watches as many eyes turn to look at one boy, who is slowly raising his hand. Johnny just about screeches in relief.

"No way! You do? How good are you? What songs do you know?" Johnny can't help but to bombard the boy with questions. It's 6:45, and the 7:15 gig only inches closer and closer. He needs to get his information fast.

The boy is visibly overwhelmed at first, but quickly lets the questions set in. He begins to speak, saying, "I'd consider myself to be pretty good. I've been playing for just about 7 years, and concerning the songs I know, there's too many to name."

Johnny is pleased. He ushers for the boy to get out of his booth and come with him back to the green room. They'll need to discuss things with the other band members to find out what songs they can play, if any at all. Johnny knows there's a chance that this won't work, but he also knows that if he wants to make it work, this guy's his best bet. 

The two walk into the green room, and Johnny meets eyes with a curious Taeyong, and a skeptical Taeil. They immediately look the new guy up and down, curious about his instrumental ability. Taeyong wonders if Johnny gave this guy a proper interview before pulling him back here. Taeil wonders if he's only here because he's totally Johnny's ideal type. Neither of them voice their thoughts. 

"I found someone," Johnny says, stepping further into the room, "says he's been playing bass for 7 years and has a good repertoire when it comes to knowing songs. I thought it couldn't hurt to give it a shot." 

The two other bandmates glance at each other, before bringing their attention back to the stranger. 

"What's your name?" Taeyong asks. 

The boy responds with a smile. "My name is Chittaphon, but people usually just call me Ten. It's a lot easier to say." 

Taeyong nods in understanding. "Well, Ten," he says, picking up a printed copy of the setlist, "These are the songs we had in mind for tonight. Happen to know any of them?" 

Ten reaches out and grabs the paper, scanning his eyes over the various song titles on the page. His eyebrows quirk up occasionally, presumably at the choice of songs, but they lower quickly as he focuses in on the other songs on the list. 

Finally, he lowers the paper, a hint of a smile gracing his features. Johnny's heart clenches just a little bit at the sight. 

"Of the 8 songs here, I know 5. Technically 6, but I really only know the chorus of Tangerine. I've never done the solo before." He says, passing the paper back to Taeyong, whose features have noticeably become much happier. 

"That's perfect," Says Taeil, "we can totally make this work."

In the time remaining until they go on stage, Taeyong and Taeil get to talking with their temporary bassist. Johnny would join the conversation, but he's just realized the beauty that is Ten. Knowing himself, the only words he'd be able to get out would be gibberish at best, and he doesn't wanna risk making a fool out of himself in front of someone attractive. That's just not a good time.

So, he sits off to the side, tuning his guitar and playing some familiar riffs to warm himself up. He's immersed in it, so much so that he hardly realizes when Ten's gaze lands on him, and stays on him. 

At this point, Johnny doesn't want to look up. He can hear that Taeyong and Taeil have drifted into a conversation of their own, talking about Jeno accidentally lighting something on fire- Johnny takes a mental note to ask about that later- but that means that Ten is now on his own, and spending his time watching Johnny play. 

Johnny doesn't know whether he should feel nervous or proud. On one hand, a cute boy is watching him play, and a mistake could potentially be very embarrassing. On the other hand, the aforementioned cute boy doesn't seem to want to stop watching, so he must be playing well enough, right? 

His thoughts are brought to an abrupt stop as the bar's manager steps into the green room, notifying the band that it's their turn on stage. They all send each other reassuring glances before stepping onto the stage, and beginning their performance.

And God, what a performance it is. 

The stage presence is off the charts, Taeyong manages to play the whole set without breaking a drumstick (a new record), Taeil hits every note perfectly and every word that leaves his mouth is sharply enunciated. They're killing it. 

And Ten. God, Johnny could go on for hours about Ten. His basslines are even better than Johnny had expected them to be. He knows every part of every song flawlessly, and when the bass takes a break, he actively engages with the audience that's accumulated in front of the stage. He looks like the real deal. Like an experienced rock star who's already made it big. And perhaps it's the wrong time to think about this, but Johnny really and truly can't deny how attractive it is. 

As Ten slaps out the ending of their final song, the crowd erupts in applause and cheers, and the band thanks everyone for listening before retreating to the green room as another group gets ready to play. 

The boys plop into the seats that await them, catching their breath from the energy packed performance they gave just moments ago.

"Holy shit," says Taeyong, sinking further down into his chair, "Ten, you're incredible." 

Ten waves off the compliment as soon as it leaves Taeyong's mouth. Johnny wonders if he gets complimented on his bass playing a lot.

"Thank you," Ten says, "but honestly, I think you guys did much better than me. You must do this a lot, huh? The stage seems like your second home."

Taeil chuckles in response. "Every other day," He begins, "same time, same place. Been doing so for about half a year. So yeah, I guess you could say it's our second home." 

Ten hums at the response, and the conversation carries on. 

It isn't long before Taeyong starts yawning and insisting that he needs to get home. Taeil sighs, getting up to go along with him, since the two boys share two things. 1) an apartment, and 2) a car. 

They both stand up, grabbing their things and doing an extra check to make sure that Taeyong doesn't leave behind his wallet again. Taeil doesn't want to deal with the panic once they get home. 

As they finish grabbing their things, they say goodbye to Ten and Johnny, continuing to wave as they leave through the bar's back exit.

Ten turns to Johnny once the other boys are out of sight. He feels obligated to thank him for giving him such an opportunity tonight. 

"Hey Johnny," Ten says, admittedly kind of shyly. He can't help but to feel slightly intimidated when stood next to someone so tall, especially after said person has just played a fair number of impressive guitar solos. "thank you so much for asking me to play with you and your band tonight. I understand it was merely circumstantial, but I had a lot of fun. You're a fun group of guys, you know? And you're really good at guitar. Like, really good at guitar." 

Ten stops talking there, realizing he's babbling. A light blush dusts his face, his attitude now quite the opposite of what it was on stage. Johnny finds it adorable. 

"It's no problem, Ten," Johnny says, before the sudden urge to be bold overtakes him, "and honestly, even if we hadn't needed a bassist tonight, I probably would have gone up to you anyway. You're quite cute, you know?" 

Ten's blush deepens to the point where it is likely visible from the surface of Mars. Needless to say, Johnny's words caught him off guard. 

"Ah," says Ten, rubbing the back of his neck, "thank you." 

A pause. And then,

"You're not so bad yourself." 

Johnny smiles at Ten's words, an invisible weight being lifted off of his shoulders. Flirting has never been his forte, and he'd been worried that he was going to mess things up. But, he didn't. Ten seeems interested.

"Say, Ten, you wanna come back to my place tonight? I've got a few unwatched DVDs sitting on my table, and I'd enjoy some company while watching them." Johnny suggests.

Ten smiles, "Of course. Though... I have a funny feeling we won't just be watching movies." 

Johnny shrugs his shoulders, slinging an arm around Ten's shoulders. 

"It's funny. I have that feeling too."


End file.
